Note: these 'words' (valid or invalid) are all the permutations of the word zebra. These words are obtained by scrambling the letters in zebra.
Definitions and meaning of zebra
zebra
Etymology
1600; borrowed from Italianzebra, from Portuguesezebra, zebro(“zebra”), from Old Galician-Portugueseenzebro, ezebra, azebra(“wild ass”), from earlier cebrario (882), ezebrario (897), from Vulgar Latin*eciferus, from Latinequiferus(“wild horse”) (Pliny), from equus(“horse”) + ferus(“wild”).(Can this(+) etymology be sourced?)
While the word was traditionally pronounced with a long vowel in the first syllable in standard English, during the twentieth century a vowel shift occurred in regions of England, with the shortening of the first vowel. This pronunciation is now used throughout the UK and most Commonwealth nations. The long-vowel pronunciation remains standard in Canadian and American English.
(referee): In reference to the black and white striped shirts they wear.
Pronunciation
(UK, Commonwealth) IPA(key): /ˈzɛbɹə/
Hyphenation: zeb‧ra
(Canadian, US and traditional British English) IPA(key): /ˈziːbɹə/
Hyphenation: ze‧bra
Rhymes: (UK, Commonwealth)-ɛbɹə, -iːbɹə
Noun
zebra (pluralzebraorzebras)
Any of three species of subgenus Hippotigris: E. grevyi, E. quagga, or E. zebra, all with black and white stripes and native to Africa.
(sports, slang) A referee.
(medicine, slang) An unlikely diagnosis, especially for symptoms probably caused by a common ailment. (Originates in the advice often given to medical students: "when you hear hoofbeats, think of horses, not zebras".)
(medicine, by extension) Someone who has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome or hypermobility spectrum disorder
(vulgar, derogatory, slang, ethnic slur) A biracial person, specifically one born to a Sub-Saharan African person and a white person.
(informal) A fish, the zebra cichlid.
Any of various papilionid butterflies of the subgenus Paranticopsis of the genus Graphium, having black and white markings.
A zebra crossing.
Usage notes
(biracial person): The term zebra, as used in its pejorative sense, was popularized on the television situation comedy The Jeffersons. The term was used by the series protagonist, George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley), to express disdain for his daughter-in-law, Jenny Willis Jefferson, whose father was white and mother was black.
Hyponyms
(animal of genus Equus): Burchell's zebra, Grevy's zebra, quagga, plains zebra, mountain zebra
"zebra" in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy], euskaltzaindia.eus
“zebra” in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], euskaltzaindia.eus
Catalan
Etymology
Inherited from Old Catalanatzebra, from Old Galician-Portuguese*ezevra, *ezevro.
Pronunciation
IPA(key): (Central)[ˈze.βɾə]
IPA(key): (Balearic)[ˈze.bɾə]
IPA(key): (Valencian)[ˈze.bɾa]
Noun
zebraf (pluralzebres)
zebra
Derived terms
peix zebra
zebrat
Further reading
“zebra” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
Cebuano
Etymology
Borrowed from Englishzebra, from Italianzebra, from Portuguesezebra, zebro(“zebra”), from Old Galician-Portugueseenzebro, ezebra, azebra(“wild ass”), from earlier cebrario (882), ezebrario (897), from Vulgar Latin*eciferus, from Latinequiferus(“wild horse”) (Pliny), from equus(“horse”) + ferus(“wild”).
Noun
zebra
a zebra; any of three species of genus Equus: E. grevyi, E. quagga, or E. zebra, all with black and white stripes and native to Africa
a pattern or motif similar to the stripes of a zebra
(informal) an animal with zebra-like stripes
Corsican
Etymology
From Portuguesezebra(“wild horse”), from zebro, from Old Galician-Portuguesezevro, from *ezevro, from Vulgar Latin*eciferus, from Latin*equiferus, from equus(“horse”) + ferus(“wild”).
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /ˈzɛbra/
Noun
zebraf (pluralzebre)
Alternative form of zebru
References
https://infcor.adecec.net/
Crimean Tatar
Etymology
Probably from Russianзебра(zebra), from Italianzebra
Noun
zebra
zebra
Synonym:qaşqalı at
Declension
References
“zebra”, in Luğatçıq (in Russian)
Czech
Pronunciation
IPA(key): [ˈzɛbra]
Noun
zebraf
zebra
Declension
Derived terms
Further reading
zebra in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
zebra in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989
zebra in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (‘The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
Possibly ultimately from a Congolese name for the animal, via Portuguese, via some other European language. Possibly also ultimately from Latinequiferus(“wild horse”), via Portuguese and/or Italian.
zebra in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
zebra in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Portuguese
Etymology 1
From zebro, from Old Galician-Portuguesezebro, ezebro(“European wild ass”), from Vulgar Latin*eciferus, from Latinequiferus(“wild horse”), from equus(“horse”) + ferus(“wild”). Compare Spanishcebra.
Senses 2 and 3 of the word comes from the popular Brazilian betting game jogo do bicho, in which the animal is absent, therefore it is unlikely that a zebra will be drawn.
Pronunciation
Hyphenation: ze‧bra
Noun
zebraf (pluralzebras)
zebra
(Brazil, slang) A victorious competitor initially thought unlikely to win, especially in sports; an underdog
Synonym:azarão
(Brazil, slang) an unexpected result in a competition
(Brazil, derogatory) idiot, stupid
Synonym:burro
(Brazil, informal) prison uniform
(Portugal, informal) zebra crossing
(Portugal, informal) vice, a bad habit
(Beira) a type of lanky spinning top
(motor racing) curb (line of flat curbstones on the corners of racing tracks)
zebra pattern
(obsolete) cow
Usage notes
The gender of this Portuguese word is always feminine. When the gender of the being itself must be specified, use “zebra-macho” for male, and “zebra-fêmea” for female.
Quotations
For quotations using this term, see Citations:zebra.
Derived terms
Related terms
Descendants
Italian: zebra
English: zebra
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Pronunciation
Hyphenation: ze‧bra
Verb
zebra
inflection of zebrar:
third-person singular present indicative
second-person singular imperative
Further reading
“zebra” in iDicionário Aulete.
“zebra” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
“zebra” in Dicionário Online de Português.
“zebra” in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa. Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2024.
“zebra” in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa.
“zebra” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.
Serbo-Croatian
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /zêbra/
Noun
zȅbraf (Cyrillic spellingзе̏бра)
zebra
Declension
Slovene
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /zèːbra/, /zéːbra/
Noun
zẹ̄braf
zebra
Inflection
Further reading
“zebra”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU, portal Fran
Spanish
Noun
zebraf (pluralzebras)
Obsolete spelling of cebra
Further reading
“zebra”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014